About: natural gas Archives

The European Commission is reconsidering the position of gas in its sustainable finance taxonomy by recognising the fossil fuel’s role in keeping the lights on during peak electricity demand, according to a leaked document seen by EURACTIV.

We need to face the reality that the future is no longer in fossil fuels and need to show credibility on that, said President of the European Investment Bank, Dr Werner Hoyer on Wednesday (20 January).

The lower carbon intensity of natural gas – which produces half the emissions of coal when burned in power plants – and the emergence of new technologies like hydrogen are setting gas apart from other fossil fuels in the clean energy transition.

The European Parliament reached a provisional agreement with EU member states on Wednesday (9 December), which sees fossil fuels axed from the EU's just transition fund but finding their way back into EU regional development funding until 2025.

Experts disagree about which technologies should be used to meet the EU’s climate change targets.

The European Commission granted priority status to natural gas projects without properly assessing their impact on climate change, the European Union's Ombudsman said in a decision on Tuesday (17 November).

Power plants fuelled by natural gas will not be classed as “sustainable” or “transition” investments in Europe unless they meet emission limits which are so low that none are currently able to comply, according to draft EU rules seen by EURACTIV.

Power plants fuelled by natural gas will not be classed as a sustainable investment in Europe, unless they meet an emissions limit that none currently comply with, according to draft European Union regulations seen by Reuters.

The discovery in recent years of huge natural gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean has whetted the appetite of nearby countries but exacerbated geopolitical tensions between Turkey and its neighbours.

In his presentation of the German EU presidency's priorities, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU) urged MEPs on Thursday (16 July) to be more realistic, particularly on renewable energy and relations with China. But he continues to believe that barring Huawei, as the UK recently did, is wrong. EURACTIV Germany reports.

The European Union is split over which fuels deserve support from the bloc's flagship green transition fund, after lawmakers on Monday (6 July) called for rules that could allow the money to be spent on some fossil gas projects.

Global natural gas capacity under construction has doubled in a year according to new analysis that warned Tuesday (7 July) the investment boom in the world's fastest-growing fuel risks a "perfect storm" of climate chaos and stranded assets.

The European Parliament's Regional Affairs Committee will vote Monday (6 July) on the EU's proposed €40 billion Just Transition Fund, which aims to support the bloc's 108 coal-producing regions in their transition to a low-carbon economy. EURACTIV Germany reports.

A group of eight EU countries from the Balkans and the east have joined forces to defend the “role of natural gas in a climate-neutral Europe”.

The European Commission is considering three options for future investments in gas infrastructure as Europe moves towards "climate neutrality" by 2050, according to a leaked memo seen by EURACTIV.

The Higher Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg has ruled that the construction of Nord Stream 2 pipeline project could continue, rejecting a complaint over a plot of land through which the pipeline should pass and finally clearing the path for the German-Russian project. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Members of the European Parliament have written to the European Commission, voicing concern that EU spending on LNG and other gas projects “may not be in line with the Union’s climate commitments under the Paris Agreement”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping launch Monday (2 December) a gas pipeline that is the first of three ambitious projects intended to cement Moscow's role as top gas exporter.

Under a scenario in which the EU meets its Paris Agreement climate targets, gas will be a transition fuel and offshore wind will dominate by 2050, according to a World Energy Outlook forecast from the International Energy Agency.

The European Commission has approved EU funding worth €130 million to expand a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Terminal in northwest Poland, triggering the ire of green activists who denounce continuous EU support for fossil fuel projects.

As the new European Commission of Ursula von der Leyen prepares to take office, one of its key priorities will be to deliver on a new market design for gas that will have EU decarbonisation objectives at its core. And natural gas of fossil origin will play a significant part, officials say.

Replacing Poland’s obsolete coal power fleet is a top political priority for the country, both for environmental and energy security reasons. But even as it steps up renewable energy plans, Warsaw is also pushing hard for new gas and nuclear plants to fill in the gap.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday (16 June) said Turkey would not back down from gas exploration in Cyprus after southern European leaders urged Ankara to stop.

The European Union's investment arm risks torpedoing the bloc's commitment to abide by the Paris climate goals by financing billions of euros worth of new natural gas infrastructure projects, new analysis said Thursday (13 June).